Greencastle students suspended for bomb threats

December 07, 2007|By ASHLEY HARTMAN

GREENCASTLE, Pa. - After a lengthy executive session Thursday evening, the Greencastle-Antrim School Board decided the punishment for three middle school students responsible for a bomb threat at Greencastle-Antrim Middle School on Nov. 12.

The three males, two 14-year-olds and a 13-year-old, have been suspended from school until the end of the first semester, which is Jan. 18, according to Bob Crider, director of secondary education for the Greencastle-Antrim School District. The students will receive homebound instruction during that time.

All three students are on social probation for the rest of the year and whether that extends until next year will be decided at a school board meeting in June, Crider said.

Social probation means the students will be prohibited from extracurricular activities such as dances or sports, Crider said.

Once the students return to school, one will have to complete a psychological evaluation at his parents' expense, two will have in-school suspensions for the entire second semester, and all three will remain on restricted social probation, Crider said.

"Punishment differentiated due to severity," Crider said.

One of the boys admitted to writing the bomb threat, the second boy knew the bomb threat was written and the third boy was implicated in the threat.

An in-school suspension means the students will be restricted from social interaction, Crider said.

All three of the boys are eighth-graders.

"We live in a world where we are concerned about these things" such as 9/11 and Columbine, Crider said. "We need to remember (the students') ages and experiences - they were in diapers during Columbine."

The 13-year old middle school girl who turned herself in to Greencastle Police for the Nov. 15 bomb threat at Greencastle-Antrim Middle School was not punished Thursday evening because she has not yet had a hearing with the school board and is on probation, Crider said.

The four juveniles have been charged with one count each of terroristic threats, causing or risking a catastrophe, threat to use weapons of mass destruction, disorderly conduct and harassment, Greencastle Police Officer Chris McGarity said last week.

The three boys from the Nov. 12 threat were charged with an additional count of conspiracy, McGarity said.

No suspects have been found for the bomb threat at Greencastle-Antrim High School on Nov. 14, Crider said.

Board reorganizes

Daniel Fisher was unanimously re-elected as president of the Greencastle-Antrim School Board Thursday night as the board reorganized and swore in new members.

Mike Shindle nominated Fisher for the one-year term as president and the vote was seconded by G. William Thorne.

Shindle was unanimously re-elected as vice president of the board by a Charles McClain/Thorne motion.

Five board members were sworn in; two who are new to the board and three who have previously served on the board.

Paul Politis and Kristy Faulkner were sworn in as new members of the board. Eric Holtzman, Arnold Jansen and Howard Ritchey were each re-elected to the board at the Nov. 6 election.

The board will continue with its schedule of meeting on the first and third Thursdays of each month in 2008. In January, the board will meet on the third and the 17th.

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